Long-term support of safety-critical control systems presents a particular challenge for operators of established offshore assets.
As equipment ages, components can become obsolete, original suppliers may withdraw support and specialist knowledge can become increasingly difficult to retain. Maintaining the reliability and availability of these systems therefore requires both detailed knowledge of the existing installation and the engineering capability to adapt and modify it as operational requirements evolve.
The Brae Alpha platform in the North Sea provides a good example of this approach.
Supporting an Established North Sea Asset
Brae Alpha commenced production in 1983 and formed part of the wider Brae field, approximately 170 miles north-east of Aberdeen.
FirstClass Safety & Control has provided specialist engineering expertise in support of the platform’s Emergency Shutdown (ESD) control and safety systems.
By 2019, this support relationship had already extended over approximately 18 years, demonstrating the importance of maintaining specialist knowledge throughout the operational life of established safety systems.
Emergency Shutdown System Expertise
Emergency Shutdown Systems perform a critical role within petrochemical and offshore environments, providing the means to bring equipment or processes to a safe condition when predefined operating parameters are exceeded.
Supporting an established ESD system requires more than responding to individual faults.
It requires detailed understanding of the original system architecture, hardware and software, together with the ability to assess ageing equipment, identify potential obsolescence issues and develop appropriate modifications.
FirstClass Safety & Control’s support for Brae Alpha has included specialist expertise relating to the platform’s ICS Triplex ESD control and safety systems.
Extending the Life of Existing Systems
Replacing an entire safety or control system is not always the most appropriate solution.
Where existing infrastructure remains serviceable, targeted maintenance, modification and obsolescence management can help operators extend the operational life of their assets while addressing changing requirements.
Our approach can include:
- Planned maintenance of control and safety systems
- Technical support and fault investigation
- Emergency engineering support
- Fault-history monitoring
- Spares management
- Obsolescence studies and management
- Control and safety system modifications
- Replacement or integration of individual system components
This capability is particularly valuable where original equipment has been in operation for many years and specialist engineering knowledge is required to maintain or modify it.
Maintaining Specialist Knowledge
One of the challenges associated with long-life industrial assets is retaining knowledge of systems that may have been designed and commissioned decades earlier.
FirstClass Safety & Control engineers have extensive experience of control and safety systems across petrochemical and other industrial environments.
This combination of legacy-system knowledge and modern control engineering capability enables us to assess existing installations and develop practical solutions rather than assuming that complete replacement is the only option.
Safety and Control Throughout the Asset Lifecycle
The experience gained supporting Brae Alpha demonstrates a wider FirstClass Safety & Control capability: helping customers maintain safety and control systems throughout extended operational lifecycles.
From planned maintenance and technical support to system modifications, obsolescence management and replacement solutions, our engineers can work with customers to understand their existing infrastructure and determine the most appropriate way forward.
For operators managing established petrochemical facilities or ageing safety and control systems, maintaining access to specialist engineering expertise can be an important part of protecting the continued reliability and supportability of those assets.